Stephen van Rooyen Appointed Chief Executive Officer of VodafoneZiggo

Rhea-AI Summary

Stephen van Rooyen has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of VodafoneZiggo, effective September 2024. Van Rooyen, who was the CEO of Sky UK & Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer for the Sky Group, brings over 17 years of telecom and media experience. His tenure at Sky included launching key products like Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, and NOW TV, as well as leading Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and Sky channels. He succeeds Jeroen Hoencamp, who is retiring. In the interim, CFO Ritchy Drost will lead VodafoneZiggo. Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries and Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle praised van Rooyen's expertise in driving growth and innovation.

Positive

• Stephen van Rooyen brings over 17 years of telecom and media experience.
• Successfully launched products such as Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, NOW TV.
• Led Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and all Sky channels.
• Reputation for driving growth, product diversification, and innovation.
• Appointment brings new leadership focus to the competitive Dutch market.

Negative

• Transition period until September 2024 may cause interim instability.
• Retirement of Jeroen Hoencamp, a long-serving CEO, could lead to initial uncertainty.
• Interim CEO may lack the full authority of a permanent CEO, potentially affecting decision-making.

LONDON, United Kingdom and DENVER, Colorado--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vodafone Group Plc (LSE: VOD) and Liberty Global Ltd. (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) today announce that Stephen van Rooyen has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of VodafoneZiggo, effective from September 2024.

Mr. van Rooyen was the CEO of Sky UK & Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer for the Sky Group. He brings a wealth of telecoms and media experience to VodafoneZiggo after more than 17 years at Sky in the UK and in several other countries in Europe including Germany, Italy, Austria, Ireland and Switzerland. Driving consistent growth, product diversification and innovation, Mr. van Rooyen was a key part of several major product launches, including Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, NOW TV as well as the evolution of Sky’s TV platforms, Sky Q, Sky Glass, and Sky Stream. He was also instrumental in Sky’s content and programming, leading Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and all Sky channels.

Ritchy Drost, VodafoneZiggo’s Chief Financial Officer, will lead VodafoneZiggo as interim CEO until Mr. van Rooyen joins in September. Mr. van Rooyen’s appointment follows the retirement of previous VodafoneZiggo CEO Jeroen Hoencamp.

Mike Fries, Liberty Global Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Stephen is an exceptionally talented executive with a strong track record of driving growth and innovation over the last two decades with Sky. He brings with him deep expertise in brand, products and innovation which is exactly what we need in the competitive Dutch market. I’d like to thank Jeroen Hoencamp for his years of great service and friendship and wish him all the best on his next journey.”

Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, comments: “Having held senior commercial and leadership roles at Sky, Stephen brings considerable expertise of both the telecoms and media sectors in Europe. We wish him every success when he takes over in September. In the meantime, we are delighted that Ritchy will lead the company in an interim role and we wholeheartedly thank Jeroen, who has expertly steered VodafoneZiggo for success since he took the reins eight years ago.”

Stephen van Rooyen, incoming Chief Executive Officer, VodafoneZiggo, comments: “I’m incredibly excited to join the VodafoneZiggo family. Having been based in London for many years, I look forward to a new experience, for both me and my family, living and working in The Netherlands.”

Mr. van Rooyen will be posted in The Netherlands, at the Company’s Utrecht headquarters.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) is a world leader in converged broadband, video and mobile communications services. We deliver next-generation products through advanced fiber and 5G networks, and currently provide over 85 million* connections across Europe. Our businesses operate under some of the best-known consumer brands, including Sunrise in Switzerland, Telenet in Belgium, Virgin Media in Ireland, UPC in Slovakia, Virgin Media-O2 in the U.K. and VodafoneZiggo in The Netherlands. Through our substantial scale and commitment to innovation, we are building Tomorrow’s Connections Today, investing in the infrastructure and platforms that empower our customers to make the most of the digital revolution, while deploying the advanced technologies that nations and economies need to thrive.

Liberty Global's consolidated businesses generate annual revenue of more than $7 billion, while the VMO2 JV and the VodafoneZiggo JV generate combined annual revenue of more than $18 billion.**

Liberty Global Ventures, our global investment arm, has a portfolio of more than 75 companies and funds across the content, technology and infrastructure industries, including stakes in companies like ITV, Televisa Univision, Plume, AtlasEdge and the Formula E racing series.

* Represents aggregate consolidated and 50% owned non-consolidated fixed and mobile subscribers. Includes wholesale mobile connections of the VMO2 JV and B2B fixed subscribers of the VodafoneZiggo JV.

** Revenue figures above are provided based on full year 2023 Liberty Global consolidated results and the combined as reported full year 2023 results for the VodafoneZiggo JV and full year 2023 U.S. GAAP results for the VMO2 JV.

Sunrise, Telenet, the VMO2 JV and the VodafoneZiggo JV deliver mobile services as mobile network operators. Virgin Media Ireland delivers mobile services as a mobile virtual network operator through third-party networks. UPC Slovakia delivers mobile services as a reseller of SIM cards.

Liberty Global Ltd. is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbols "LBTYA", "LBTYB" and "LBTYK".

About Vodafone

Vodafone is a leading European and African telecoms company. We provide mobile and fixed services to over 330 million customers in 15 countries (excludes Italy and Spain which are held as discontinued operations under Vodafone Group), partner with mobile networks in 43 more and have one of the world’s largest IoT platforms. In Africa, our financial technology businesses serve almost 79 million customers across seven countries – managing more transactions than any other provider.

Our purpose is to connect for a better future by using technology to improve lives, businesses and help progress inclusive sustainable societies. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240513073210/en/

For More Information

Liberty Global

Investor Relations

Michael Bishop +44 20 8483 6246

Corporate Communications

Bill Myers +1 303 220 6686

Matt Beake +44 20 8483 6428

Vodafone

Investor Relations

investors.vodafone.com

ir@vodafone.co.uk

Media Relations

vodafone.com/news/contact-us

GroupMedia@vodafone.com

Source: Liberty Global Ltd.

FAQ

Who is the new CEO of VodafoneZiggo?

Stephen van Rooyen has been appointed as the new CEO of VodafoneZiggo, effective September 2024.

What experience does Stephen van Rooyen bring to VodafoneZiggo?

Stephen van Rooyen has over 17 years of experience in telecoms and media, having been the CEO of Sky UK & Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer for the Sky Group.

When will Stephen van Rooyen start as CEO of VodafoneZiggo?

Stephen van Rooyen will start as CEO of VodafoneZiggo in September 2024.

What products has Stephen van Rooyen launched at Sky?

Stephen van Rooyen was a key part of launching products like Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, NOW TV, Sky Q, Sky Glass, and Sky Stream.

Who is leading VodafoneZiggo until Stephen van Rooyen starts?

Ritchy Drost, the current Chief Financial Officer, will lead VodafoneZiggo as interim CEO until Stephen van Rooyen starts in September 2024.

Why is the current CEO of VodafoneZiggo retiring?

Jeroen Hoencamp is retiring after several years of successfully steering VodafoneZiggo.

What expertise does Stephen van Rooyen bring to VodafoneZiggo?

Stephen van Rooyen brings significant expertise in brand, products, and innovation, which is essential for the competitive Dutch market.